


A Moment In Time

by Elycia7



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, F/M, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-09-27
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1726109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elycia7/pseuds/Elycia7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When Rose Tyler was 19, she met Dr. John Smith. He was almost twice her age, grumpy, and loud. Nothing like what she would usually look for in a bloke. How could she not fall in love with him? "</p>
<p>Six years later John dies, leaving Rose a widow with a child . She struggles to overcome life as a single paretn, until she meets the Doctor, the father of a girl in her son's class.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work has been beated by the wonderful Loupmalin over at Tumblr. Thank you so much

When Rose Tyler was 19, she met Dr. John Smith. He was almost twice her age, grumpy, and loud. Nothing like what she would usually look for in a bloke. How could she not fall in love with him?

Rose’s mother Jackie had of course, been against the relationship, fearing that John was just using Rose as a distraction, but Rose and John would hear none of that.

They had only known each other for 11 months when they became engaged. There hadn’t really been an actual proposal, more sort of a mutual agreement that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Rose Tyler was 21 when her mother was killed. Jackie had just been on her way home and had been caught up in a gunfight between two of the gangs at the estate.   
John was there for her the entire time, holding her as she cried and taking care of the arrangements for the funeral.

When their first son was born later that year, they named him Jack Michael Tyler-Smith. 

~

Theta Jonathan Noble, or the Doctor as he preferred to be called, was 28 years when his parents died. All of the engines on his father’s private jet malfunctioned simultaneously.

He was told that he would be given time to mourn before he took over the family-owned company, but he was never asked if he really wanted to.

His twin sister Donna and their grandfather Wilfred were with him at the time, and as much as he wanted to stay there with them and try to comfort them, he needed some air. He hadn’t even registered that he was in his car, or that he had arrived in a bar before a drink was handed over to him.  
Everything after that had been a bit of a blur. 

Four months later he got a call from a woman named Romana, claiming that she was pregnant with his child. She said that she didn’t want to get an abortion, but didn’t want to keep the baby either.

On a whim he had met up with her, and went to get an ultrasound scan. The moment he saw the growing child he had known that there was no way he could give her up. Romana had made it clear to him that she didn’t want to see the baby when it was born, but like him, she did want to know the sex.

Despite not knowing each other well, the Doctor pulled her into hug when they were told that is was a girl.

“I’m having a daughter.” he laughed, happiness filling him inside. All the worries he had had about becoming a father left in that very moment, as he looked at the child, trying not to weep with joy.

Jenny Noble was born prematurely a few months later. The Doctor had been waiting for hours, and was finally let into a room occupied only by Jenny, lying in a machine that made sure that she suffered no harm from the early birth. “Hello, little one. Welcome to the world.” The Doctor whispered, already completely and utterly captivated by her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character death in this chapter

Rose woke up, stretching lazily. It was a Sunday, so she didn’t have work today. She looked over at John, who was still snoring loudly next to her, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. Their apartment was relatively quiet, which meant that the two-and-a-half-year-old in the room next to theirs must still be sound asleep.

 

She got out of bed as carefully as she could so she wouldn’t wake John up, tiptoeing into the bathroom, quickly brushing her teeth and combing through her hair. Today would be the perfect day.

 

She got back into bed, straddling her husband and starting to kiss him awake. A few moments passed before he started kissing her back, humming happily. “Good morning, Mrs Tyler-Smith,” he said, rolling over so he was on top.

 

Rose chuckled, putting her hand on his bare chest “And good morning to you, Mr Tyler-Smith. Happy anniversary.” She said, kissing him again.

 

He opened his mouth to say something more, but a little voice from outside spoke before he had the chance.

“Mummy? Daddy? I’m hungwy,” Jack called from outside.

 

They smiled at each other before getting up. Rose opened the door to him as soon as they were both decent, and Jack ran in. John laughed and picked him up

 

“Alright, Jack. Why don’t you and I go and make breakfast while Mummy gets ready?” he said. Jack nodded eagerly. He absolutely adored his father, and wanted to be just like him, in every single aspect.

 

“I want waffles. I love waffles, don’t you love waffles too Daddy?” Jack asked, doing a bad imitation of his father’s accent.

 

John laughed, “I do love waffles, Jack. But do you know what I love more? Banana waffles.” He said. 

 

Jack nodded “I like them too… Can we have ‘Nana waffles?” John smiled and nodded, putting Jack into his high chair as he prepared them.

 

Rose joined them after 15 minutes, dressed and ready for the day. She sat down next to 

Jack. “What’s Daddy making for us, then?” she whispered to him.

 

Jack had been too hungry to wait for his father to finish the waffles, so he was eating small bits of apple “’Nana ‘ffles” Jack said with his mouth full.

 

Rose sighed, wiping the juice of the apple he had spit out from his chin “Don’t speak with food in your mouth, Jack.” She said for what felt like the thousandth time.

 

He nodded, looking down “Sowy, Mummy…”

 

“It’s okay. Just try and remember another time.”

 

John walked over to the table and put a plate down in front of each of them “Breakfast is served. Just how you like it.” He said. After getting his own food, he sat down next to Rose.  

 

They settled for comfortable silence while they ate, Rose and John holding hands under the table.

 

“What are we doing today?” Jack asked when he felt full.

 

“We are all going to the park now.” John said, “And after that, you are going to the babysitter’s house.” He said.

 

Jack smiled “I like Martha. She lets me watch TV while I eat, sometimes.”

 

“Well, that’s because you can sit at the dining table and see the TV in her living room.” Rose said. “She doesn’t live in an apartment as big as ours because she is still studying. She wants to be a doctor, just like daddy.” She explained.

 

Jack nodded “Can we go now? To the park. I want to show Daddy how good I am at somersaults.” He said happily, trying to stand up in his chair. Rose lifted him out, and resting him on her hip

 

“All right. But you have to promise not to run away like last time.” She said, looking down at him.

 

Jack nodded “I pwomise, Mummy. Don’t wander off,” he said, reciting what his father had told him so often.

 

 

 

It didn’t take them long to walk to the park, and spread out the blanket they had brought. Rose lay down, enjoying the sun, whilst her husband and son played where she could see them. After an hour, Jack was tired and wanted an ice cream.

 

He sat down in his mother’s lap, hugging her while his father went to get him one. “Mummy?” Jack asked.

 

Rose smiled down at him “Yes, love?”

 

“I love you Mummy. And Daddy. And I want to be just like daddy when I grow up.” He told her.

 

Rose smiled and kissed the top of his head “I love you and Daddy too. And I know that he loves you very, very much. He is so proud of you.” She assured him.

 

She looked up to see John returning, with a solemn look on his face.

“Work?” she asked. He had really tried to get the day off, but due to illness among the hospital staff he was on call.

 

He nodded “It’s a small operation, but it is an emergency so they need me to come in now. I’m sorry, love.”

 

“It’s fine, I understand.” She said, used to it happening by now “I’ll go home and cook dinner for tonight, and drop Jack off at Martha’s after we go shopping. Don’t worry. I’ll wait for you.”

 

John smiled and nodded. He handed the ice cream to Jack “Here you go, buddy. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? Be good while I’m gone, look after your mummy, and remember that your Da loves you very much.” He said, kissing jack’s head.

He smiled up at Rose “See you later, Rose.” He said, giving her a peck on the lips. “I love you. I’ll make this up to you. I promise.” He said sincerely.

 

Rose smiled “All right. See you later. Go save a life.” She smiled “I love you.”

 

“See you.” He called cheerily back at them.

 

Rose took Jack’s hand and they waved together.

 

 

 

They stayed in the park another hour after he had left, before going shopping and then to Martha’s flat.

 

Rose was back in the flat around two in the afternoon, and started cooking a nice meal for them. It was their fourth year together as a married couple, and they were still as happy and in love as they had been in the beginning.

 

It was about six when the dinner was ready, but John still wasn’t back. She kept the food in the oven at the lowest heat, and sat down. She knew that operations could easily drag out if something went wrong, so she wasn’t the least bit worried.

 

It was nine when she gave up waiting and ate alone, leaving the rest in the microwave for him.

 

At half past eleven, she was starting to get worried. She sighed with relief when her phone finally started ringing. “Hey. You on your way home now?” she asked, already feeling sleepy.

 

However, the caller was not who she expected.

 

“Mrs Tyler-Smith, this is Dr Grace Holloway form the hospital.” She heard from the other end. Rose frowned. She knew Grace. She had met her a few times at hospital fundraisers and faculty dinners, but she also knew that her and John weren’t even in the same department so it was weird for her to call.

 

“Oh, hello Grace. Is John out of the operation yet?” she asked, stifling a yawn.

 

“Mrs … Rose.” Grace started, carefully choosing her words.“John never made it here for the operation. On the way here, John was involved in a car crash. According to witnesses, he ran into the traffic to push a little boy out of the way of an out-of-control vehicle. He was brought into hospital, but there was nothing we could do. He died in surgery. I…”

 

Rose was sure that Grace had continued speaking, but the phone fell out of her hand.

 

John was dead.

 

Her husband was dead.

 

Had Rose been standing, she was sure that she would have collapsed

 

With shaking hands, she picked up the phone, hanging up without even checking to see if Grace was still there. She got her keys and put on her jacket, running down to her car.

 

It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. She had get to him, so she could see him. It had to be a misunderstanding of some sort, her husband couldn’t just be dead. 

 

Her hands were shaking and tears were brimming in her eyes as she drove.

 

She ran into the hospital, bumping into another doctor. The personnel of the hospital all looked sad. Some of them offered their condolence. They all knew her. Everyone knew John, who always helped others and took their shifts when they needed time off with their family. And apparently they all remembered her, too.

 

Someone she was sure that she had met before guided her into a room where she could sit down, offering to call someone for her. She mumbled something about calling Martha Jones, Martha Jones who was a student there and who was looking after their son.

 

She sat there, staring at the white walls for what seemed like an eternity before someone entered. She looked up, seeing Mickey, her oldest friend.

“Mickey?” she whispered.

 

“Hey, babe.” He said softly, sitting down next to her. Without another word, he pulled her into a hug, and she finally broke down. A distraught Martha had called him, telling him of what had happened, and he had hurried to the hospital to find Rose.

 

“Mickey, John is dead.” She whispered, “He was hit by a car, and now he’s dead Mickey.” she couldn’t take it any more. She felt like she was going to burst with all the emotions she was feeling. She covered her mouth with her hands as sob wrecked through her body. She could feel Mickey’s arms envelop her

 

Rose kept crying until her head was aching and she had no more tears to cry. “I want to see him,” she sniffled.

 

“Are you sure, Rose? You don’t have to. I can take you home if you don’t want to be here,” Mickey offered.

 

Rose shook her head. “I have to see him.” She said determined “Please, I have to. So I know that they didn’t make a mistake.”  

 

Mickey got up and left the room, returning with a nurse who could show her there, a few minutes later.

 

The entire walk there she tried her best to hold herself together. It all felt so surreal. Like a bad dream. She could almost convince herself that she would wake up soon, John’s snoring filling their bedroom as it always did.

 

That was, until she saw him. He was lying on a metal table, looking too pale. Despite the cuts and bruises on his face and shoulders, which was the only part of him that wasn’t covered in a white sheet, he looked peaceful. “John.” she croaked, tears welling up in her eyes again. She couldn’t breathe. She felt wrong. This whole situation was wrong. He shouldn’t have died like this. 

 

She reached out slowly to cup his cheek, but pulled her hand back immediately. He was too cold.

 

“Please don’t be dead.” She whispered to him.

 

“I love you… I need you, John. Don’t be dead. Wake up and tell me I’m silly for crying over nothing. Please.” She begged. 

“You have to wake up. I can’t do this alone. Me and Jack… We need you. You have to be here when he grows up. He loves you so much. He adores you. I can’t raise him alone.” She sobbed.

 

“It’s not fair. You weren’t supposed to die like this. We were supposed to have decades together. Six years together isn’t enough… Why did you have to be so damn brave?”

 

She started crying again, hugging her own body. She felt sick. The air was too dry and sterile, and the room was too cold. John hated that about working at a hospital. He shouldn’t be in here. 

 

She leaned in slowly, placing a light kiss on his lips “I love you, John, and I always will love you. And so does Jack” she whispered. She wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t want to leave him here all by himself, but she didn’t want to stay either. She just wanted him back.

 

She left the room again, finding Mickey right outside and asking him to take her home. 

 

She tried to keep her back straight and head held high on her way out. She knew that he would want her to have a fantastic life. She wasn’t sure that she could do it, but she would try for him.

 

The next few hours were a bit of a blur, but she found herself in the guest bed in Mickey’s flat. Her last thought before she gave into the tiredness brought on by the emotionally draining day, was how she would tell Jack.

 

~

 

Dr John Smith was buried on a rainy day. Everyone who knew him would talk about what a great loss it was. How kind he had been. But mostly, they would talk about his wife and their young son, who had cried the entire time, and what would happen to them now that John was gone.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose meets Donna, Jack and Jenny get in a fight, and the Doctor is a jerk.

Rose woke up with a groan as her alarm clock blared, marking the start of another day. She turned it off, but didn’t sit up. Jack was still sound asleep, snuggled against her side and holding her close. He had always loved hugging and cuddling.

 

“Mummy?” he whispered, sounding tired.

 

She kissed his forehead “Yes, Jack?” she whispered back.

 

He squirmed in her arms “I don’t wanna go to school today… I’m sick.” He said, faking a cough.

 

Rose smiled “No you’re not.” she knew him too well him too well for it to work. “And remember. In just two months, we are going on vacation.” 

 

Jack smiled and nodded, a little happier than he had been before. He sat up and rubbed his eyes “I’m gonna get dressed,” he announced, looking through his dresser.

  
Rose smiled at him, going into the bathroom to have a shower. After her husband’s death almost 3 years ago, her life had become more routine. Get up, get ready, drive Jack to school, go to work, go shopping, cook, clean, sleep, and repeat.

  
She had a quick shower and applied a light coat of makeup, before going back into her and Jack’s shared room to get dressed.  Jack had already left, and she dressed in a pair of jeans and a fuchsia T-shirt.

 

She smiled at Martha who was already cooking breakfast. “Oh, thank you,” Rose said “Any exams today? Or just studying?” she asked.

 

“Studying today. My next exam is on Monday,” Martha said. In just a month she would finally be a doctor. That is if she passed her courses.

 

Rose nodded. “Alright, then. Don’t worry, I’ll do the cooking and shopping this weekend.”

 

She set the table and noticed that Jack was eyeing the scrambled eggs Martha was making, and Rose sighed. He was going through a picky phase, and wouldn’t eat anything with any sort of flavour, unless it was sweet, of course. She got him a slice of toast and put butter on it, and he seemed more satisfied with that. They ate in silence, well, except for Jack smacking his lips as he chewed. 

 

While Rose was cleaning after their breakfast, Jack looked through his backpack for something. He came running over to her with a sheet of paper. “Ya hafta sign this,” he said, putting it on the counter next to her.

 

“Jack, when you want me to sign something you have to show me in the evening, remember?” Rose sighed. She lifted him up and read the paper to herself. Apparently they were going to a museum, and he needed permission and money for the entrance fee.

 

She signed it, and helped Jack put his jacket on “We’ll stop by a cashpoint on the way to school.” She said. She put on her own purple leather jacket, and took her purse.

 

“See you later.” She called to Martha.

 

She got into the car after fitting Jack into his seat in the back “Mummy?” he asked “Can I have a puppy?” he asked.

 

Rose frowned. “Since when do you want a dog?” she asked.

 

“My friend Jenny said she is getting a dog, and she’ll bring it to school for our next show and tell. Can I have one? Pretty please, Mummy…” he begged.

 

Rose sighed. If only John had still been alive, she would have been able to give him what he wanted. But now she didn’t have the time to take care of a puppy, and they certainly couldn’t afford it “I’m sorry Jack… Maybe when you get a little older you can ask Father Christmas for one.” She suggested.

 

“But Mummy, Christmas is months away.” he complained.

 

“I’ll think about it.” Rose sighed. She really wanted to make him happy, but she was already working as hard as she could.

 

“Jenny said she is getting hers for her birthday, and that’s next month.” He kept complaining. 

 

“Well, I’m sure Jenny’s parents had to think about it too.” She said, getting tired of his begging. 

 

Jack shook his head. “Did you know that Jenny doesn’t have a Mummy?” he asked after a few moments.

 

“No, I didn’t know that.” She answered, “I’ve never met Jenny.”

 

She got out of the car and helped him out too. Despite how much he loved to be carried anywhere else, he always wanted to walk by himself when he was at school. When Jack had been born, John had decided that a nearby private school would be the best. They had payed the full tuition fee when John was still alive.

 

Jack ran inside and started playing with his friends. Rose smiled, before looking around for his teacher, Sarah Jane Smith.  Rose spotted her trying to end a fight between two boys who couldn’t agree on who should play with the Legos. Rose waited for their dispute to be settled, and for them to run off before greeting her. 

 

“Hello, Rose.” Sarah Jane said smiling. 

 

Rose smiled back at her. She always felt at ease in the older woman’s presence “I just wanted to give you this.” She said, handing the note and payment to Sarah Jane “I know it said to hand it in yesterday, but Jack had forgotten to show the letter to me,” she said.

 

Sarah Jane chuckled “It’s fine. He did seem a bit nervous yesterday when I asked them to hand them in, so I figured that he had forgotten. Don’t worry, it happens all the time.” She said.

 

Rose nodded, glancing over at Jack “Sorry, but I really have to get going. I can’t be late for work today.” She said.

 

Sarah Jane bid her farewell, and Rose hurried towards her car. Whilst walking, she took a water bottle out of her back and opened it.

 

However, before she could make it back outside, a tall man clad in a pinstriped suit (with some really great hair) carrying girl who looked to be around Jack’s age. Her ponytail bounced with each of his long strides. “Faster Daddy, faster,” she giggled, clapping her hands. The man smiled down at her, but because of this didn’t notice Rose.

 

He bumped into her, and the water from the bottle spilled on all three of them. The little girl looked at Rose in shock, then over at her Daddy who looked equally shocked but also angry, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Daddy, it’s like a water fight,” She giggled. 

 

“Yeah, it is Jenny.” He said hurriedly, putting her down to assess the damage.  He glared at Rose “Watch where you’re going next time, will you? I have a meeting in half an hour, and this little stunt might cost me a contract worth more than what you will earn in your entire life,” He hissed.

 

That was definitely not what Rose had expected him to do. “Oi! You were the one who walked into me! And you shouldn’t be that rude in front of your daughter…” she huffed. She had seen him a few times before, but never actually talked to him. 

 

“Tell you what, I won’t make you pay for a new suit if you stop trying to tell me how to raise  my daughter, okay? Now, if you will excuse me,” he said, the annoyance plain in his voice.

 

She gaped after him. She would definitely have to talk to Sarah Jane about this man. Who did he think he was, walking in here like he owned the place, and blaming her for not paying attention to what he was doing?

 

She sighed, and tried to dry off the water stain at the centre of her shirt with some paper towels, but it was no good. She would just have to leave the air conditioner on, on the way to work. Hopefully it would be dry by the time she got there.

 

~

 

The stain didn’t dry, and Rose’s day only got worse when they held a staff meeting (which she was late for) to tell them that they had to cut down on the amount of part- and full time workers, and the least efficient workers would be dismissed at the end of the month.

 

Whereas the other girls in the shop were hunting down potential customers, circling the shop like vultures looking for their next prey, Rose tried to be of help when the customers actually needed it.

 

This, however, turned out not to be the best of strategies, so Rose was stuck folding clothes.

 

“Excuse me, will you help me?” a female voice asked her.

 

Rose plastered on a fake smile and turned to face a ginger woman a little older than her “Of course, Ma’am. What can I do for you?” She asked.

 

“Well you see-“ she stopped to look at Rose’s name tag “-Rose. My company is having a charity gala in a month’s time. I need help finding a dress for me and my niece” She asked.

 

Rose actually smiled genuinely at that. Not many people bothered looking at her nametag, probably because knowing her name would make them feel obliged to treat her like an actual human being.

 

“Sure Ma’am.” Rose said. “Shall we start with one for you? I think I know one that will fit you perfectly.”

 

The woman smiled “It’s Donna. No need to call me ma’am.”

 

~

 

Rose couldn’t remember when she had last had that much fun at work.

 

“Did he really get so drunk that he started flirting with a tree?” she laughed.

 

Donna who had tears in her eyes from laughing that much nodded “He did! He thought it was a woman named Jabe, and when we told him it was a houseplant he told us that they could work that out. He’s a  proper spaceman, my brother.”

 

They both laughed again, until Rose’s manager looked pointedly at her. She covered her mouth to try to stop

 

“All right, be honest. Which dress should I go with?” Donna asked her.

 

Rose thought about it “Take the blue one, it makes your arse look great. The neckline of the black one is way too revealing.” She said.

 

Donna chuckled “Aren’t you supposed to try and make me buy the more expensive one? So you can get more in commission…”

 

Rose shrugged “The other girls might have done that, but I value actually helping the customers. Seriously go for the blue one. It will make that husband of yours, and every other man at the party, drool over you.”

 

Whilst Rose was ringing in the dresses Donna had settled for her phone started ringing. She looked down at it and sighed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Donna asked genuinely concerned.

 

“Sorry, but I’ll have to call someone else to ring your items out.” She said.

 

“Is something wrong?” Donna asked worriedly.

 

Rose sighed “Just something at my son’s school. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m sure one of the other girls can help you. Hold on, I’ll just call for someone.” She asked for assistance over the intercom, and let to find her manager to say that she had to take the rest of the day off.

 

After a stern warning she was on her way to Jack’s school, wondering what trouble he had gotten into. Everyone in his class loved him, and likewise. Unfortunately, this also meant that whenever one of the older students was picking on one of Jack’s peers, he would stand up for them.

 

Once she got there, she sat down outside the headmaster’s office. The school’s headmaster was a young woman named Amelia, or Amy, as she preferred. Rose had met her a few times, and knew that you definitely didn’t want to get on Amy’s bad side.

 

She was let in, and was told that Mr Noble, whoever that was, would be here soon.

 

It wasn’t long before someone knocked on the door.

 

“Come in,” Amy called.

 

Rose looked up, just as the person she least wanted to see stepped inside.

 

“It’s you!” exclamied The man with the pinstriped suit from earlier. “Oh, great.”


	4. Chapter 3

“It’s you!” The man, ‘Mr Noble’, said. He sat down in the chair opposite her “Oh, great. You didn’t think that ruining my suit was enough?”

 

Rose’s jaw dropped. How could one man be so arrogant, and so rude?! “My son and I have done nothing wrong! And I’m not the one who ran into you, you ran into me because you weren’t looking where you were running!”

 

“And here I was planning to apologise for being rude this morning… Clearly, I was right to be. You are no better than me!”

 

“Children! If you could be quiet.” Amy snapped.

 

Rose looked away from him, blushing. She shouldn’t have let herself get carried away like that.

 

“Mr Noble, Mrs Tyler-Smith, I didn’t call you here so you could argue. I called you here to tell you about what your son-“ she pointed at Rose “-and your daughter-“ she pointed at Mr Noble “Have been up to today. They got into a fight. And I can see it’s a family trait.”

 

“What?” Rose asked, “Jack may yell at people, but he would never take anyone on in an actual fight.” She said.

 

“And Jenny knows better than that.” ‘Mr Noble’ said.

 

“And yet, here we are. So instead of trying to convince me that it didn’t happen, because I know that it did and I have bite marks on my left arm to prove it, we could talk about why.”

 

Rose sat back down.

 

“Thank you.” Amy said “They were making Father’s day cards in class today. Jenny claimed that Jack shouldn’t be making one, because she doesn’t make a mother’s day’s card since her mother doesn’t live with her. Jack was, naturally, upset, and he told her that they could. And before any of us knew better, Jenny had torn Jack’s card in two and we had to separate them. Both of them are at the school nurse now. In different rooms, obviously.”

 

Rose bit her lip. Of course. That must have been why he didn’t want to go to school today. If she had only known, she would never have made him do it.

 

“Well clearly, Jack overreacted.” ‘Mr Noble’ said, breaking the silence.

 

“What?! No, Jenny should have known better!” Rose said, standing up.

 

“It’s hardly her fault,” He countered, standing up too “Just because the boy’s father left you, doesn’t give Jack the right to freak out like that whenever someone mentions him.”

 

“My husband would never have left us! He…” Rose said, but was interrupted.

 

“Oh, of course not.” He mocked “I’m sure  Mr Tyler-Smith loves you both very much and is just off on some ‘business trip.’ I assume that he is the rich one anyway, judging by your clothes you certainly aren’t wealthy enough to pay for your son being in this school…”

 

Rose had let the anger get to her, and without thinking she slapped him.

 

He stared at her in shock “You hit me!

 

She didn’t even realise that she had done it until he said it “S..sorry.” she stammered, stepping back and opening the door “I’m going to leave now.” She said, stepping outside the room. “And for the record, my husband is dead.” she said, closing the door without another word and leaving, tears stinging in her eyes.

 

She found her way to the school nurse easily, greeting Rory who was there today.

 

“Oh, hello Rose.” he said “Jack is in the back room. He only had a few scratches, but we brought him here so he could cool down a little.”

 

Rose nodded, going through to find him.

 

The blonde girl from earlier was sitting in the front room “Are you Jack’s Mummy?” she asked nervously.

 

Rose’s expression softened “Yes I am. And you’re Jenny, right?” she asked, crouching down in front of her.

 

“I’m sorry I was mean to Jack… I still want to be his friend.” Jenny said solemnly.

 

Rose nodded “It’s okay, Jenny. I’ll tell him that you are sorry. Will you do me a favour too?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

 

Jenny nodded, her eyes widening with excitement.

 

“I did something very bad, you see. Because I was very, very angry and I didn’t think properly. Can you tell your father that I’m very sorry for slapping him?” she said.

 

Jenny nodded, giggling, “Aunty Donna does that too, and he never gets angry at her.”

 

Rose smiled “All right. I’m going to pick up Jack now, okay? I’ll tell him that you’re sorry.”

 

Rose stepped into the next room and as soon as she saw Jack she could see that he had definitely been scolded. He ran over to her and hugged her “Mummy,” he cried, “I’m so sorry, Mummy. I didn’t mean to do it.”

 

She picked him up “Hey, it’s okay Jack. I’m right here and I’m not angry with you. I know why you did it.”

 

Jack nodded “I made a card for Daddy, but it broke.” He sniffled.

 

“So I heard. And you hit the girl who did it?”

 

He looked down, his ears turning pink “I’m sorry, Mummy. I know you aren’t supposed to hit people.” He said.

 

Rose bit her lip, feeling guilty about what she had done to Jenny’s father once again “No you aren’t, Jack. But if you apologise to Jenny, I think it will be okay. Sometimes we do things that are wrong because we are angry. It doesn’t make them right, but it does mean that the people we did it to might forgive us. And you know what? Jenny told me she was sorry too. She said that she was wrong too. So if you apologise tomorrow I’m sure it will be okay.”

 

Jack listening closely to every word. “Mummy?” he asked, holding up two pieces of paper he had been holding “Can we mend Daddy’s card?” he asked.

 

“We just need some tape. After that, we can ask uncle Mickey to laminate it so it won’t get wet like last year,” Rose assured him.  


 

Jack nodded, smiling again. “Can I go grocery shopping with you, Mummy?” he asked on their way out.

 

Rose smiled back “You can. I left work early today. But you have to promise me not to make a scene if I say no to something.” She said seriously.

 

“Where do I put my card?” Jack asked.

 

Rose took her backpack off, opening a folder she kept in it and put it in there “See? It’ll be safe there.”

 

Jack smiled and nodded. He held her hand while they were in the shop “Mummy?” he asked “You know, it’s Friday today, right?” he asked.

 

Rose smiled back once again, knowing that this would happen “Yes, I do know that it’s Friday, Jack. So today, we are having something nice for dessert.” She said.

 

“Really?” he beamed.

 

“Yeah. I know how much you love steamed Brussels sprouts, so we are having that.” She teased.

 

Jack shook his head “No, Mummy I don’t like that.” He complained, sticking his tongue out. “That tastes bad.”

 

Rose laughed “Alright, what about crisps then? Or maybe…”

 

“Maybe what, Mummy?” he asked.

 

“I’ll bake a banana cake. But it has to last all weekend okay?” she said.

 

Jack nodded “Bananas are good.” He said, quoting his father, but his smile fell when he saw how sad his mother looked. “Mummy?” he whispered, pulling at her sleeve.

 

Rose crouched down next to him “Yeah?” she whispered back.

 

“Are you sad, Mummy?” he whispered, putting his hand on her cheek.

 

Rose put her hand on top of his “A little bit, yeah.” She admitted, “I miss Daddy very much.”

 

Jack nodded, “So do I, Mummy. But Daddy wouldn’t want you to be sad. He didn’t like it when you were sad.” Jack said.

 

Rose had to hug him “I know he didn’t. And if he could be here right now, he would be so, so proud of you, Jack.”

Jack nodded “And you, Mummy. He always said that ‘I love your Mummy very much, and I’m proud of you’” Jack said, trying and failing at mimicking his father’s accent.

Rose chuckled, and it made Jack light up. “Let’s get home so we can bake that cake.”


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor comes up with a plan that might make Rose forgive him, whilst Rose and Jack pay John's grave a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter bears a trigger warning for mentions of someone having a miscarriage. If you are triggered by this, but still want to read the chapter you can contact me on my tumblr (Gallifreyanathearts.tumblr.com).

“You said what?!” Donna asked him, raising her voice, making the Doctor flinched.

“That she looked too poor to have a child in Jenny’s school… and I sort of implied that her late husband must have been cheating on her,” he winced, repeating his words.

“And then what? Did you follow her? Did you apologise to her? Did you do anything close to normal human behaviour? No. You stood there gaping like the dumbo you are.”

“Well, I am sorry,” he argued, but immediately regretted it when he saw her reaction.

“Well, I’m sure that she appreciates you telling me that,” Donna said sarcastically “On Monday, you better apologise to her. Properly.”

He nodded, scared of getting a second slap that day. “She asked Jenny to apologise to me,” he mumbled.

Donna sighed and rolled her eyes. “See, that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend. You literally scare women away.”

He looked down. “Alright, alright. I’ll buy her some flowers or something, give her a present… Something expensive.”

“Yeah, I’m sure some flowers will help. And honestly, after calling her poor, do you really think that buying her ‘something expensive’ would be such a good idea ? If it were me, I’d think that you were pitying me.”

Before he could answer he heard a small voice from the door. “Dad?” Jenny asked.

He smiled as he lifted her up. “Hey, princess. I thought you were asleep.”

Jenny nodded, yawning. “Yeah, but you and Aunty Donna were very loud. Are you mad at Dad, Aunty Donna?”

Donna smiled at her too. “A bit, yeah. Your Dad did something bad. He was very mean to someone, but he didn’t apologise.”

Jenny nodded. “Yeah. Jack’s Mum looked very sad. Was it because you said something mean to her, Dad?”

The Doctor cringed and nodded. “I’m afraid so. And I don’t really know how to say sorry to her,” he admitted.

Jenny thought about it. “Make her a drawing. I made a drawing for Jack too. And I’ll let him come over and play with my puppy when it gets here,” she said.

He couldn’t help but smile. “That’s a very good idea. But I don’t think that will help me very much. Although… Maybe you are onto something.”

Donna shook her head, realising that he was up to something that would probably backfire. “No. Whatever it is you are thinking, don’t. Just don’t,” she warned.

“But Donna, it’s a great idea,” he continued enthusiastically.

“I’m not even going to try to stop you. I know that look. You are about to do something very stupid, and you won’t listen if I try to reason with you…” Donna sighed.

“I’ll ask her to be my plus one for the fundraiser next month. I need a date, and I can spend the night making it up to her.”

“But Dad, I’m your date,” Jenny protested. “You promised that you would dance with me.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, Jenny, I can have more than one date, can’t I? And I promise, I will still dance with you as much as you want.”

~

On Sunday morning, Rose and Jack stayed in bed much longer than any of them usually had the patience for. They were both awake, but neither of them could bear to get up.

“Mummy?” Jack whispered to her. He had woken up early, and had, as he so often did, crawled into his mother’s bed for comfort.

“Yes, love?” Rose whispered back.

“Do you think Daddy would be happy if he were here today?”

Rose nodded. “Of course he would. He was always happier when he was with us.”

Jack had tears in his eyes. “And what about now? Doesn’t he miss us up in heaven?” he asked.

Rose shook her head. “He is with your little sister, remember?”

For over a year before John had been killed, they had wanted another child. Rose hadn’t known that she had been pregnant when he died. She had found out two months later. When the test came back positive she had started crying, breaking down in her bathroom. Jack had heard it and had panicked, doing what his parents had taught him to do in emergencies, and used the speed dial function to call his Uncle Mickey. When he got there, Rose had already left the bathroom, and had calmed Jack down. As soon as Jack fell asleep that evening she had told Mickey about the baby, and that she wanted to keep it.

She had been seven months gone when she started bleeding. Luckily Jack hadn’t been there to see her being rushed to hospital, where she had delivered the baby.

It was a little girl.

The doctor told her that the baby had died in the utero. That it wasn’t Rose’s fault. That it could happen to anyone.

Jack came to visit her in hospital the next day, and for the second time that year, Rose had to explain to her son that someone they both loved was dead.

He had looked her in the eyes, and had asked if she was in hospital because she was going to die too.

Rose had held him closer, and promised him never to leave him.

Jack had been thinking about this too, and he nodded. “Yeah… They are together.”

Rose sat up, and Jack did the same. “Let’s get dressed, okay?” Rose said.

Jack nodded again. “Okay, Mummy… Is Martha coming with us today?” he asked, picking out something to wear.

Rose shook her head. “No. Martha has to study.”

He sighed. “Alright, Mummy.”

Rose dressed him, and he ran outside. She looked through her dresser, running her hand over some of her husband’s old shirts. She had gotten rid of most of his things, but she had saved a few of them, and still wore some of them occasionally. She pulled out a green shirt and put it on, stuffing the end of it into a pair of black jeans. She looked down at herself with a sad smile.

Jack didn’t seem to notice that it was his father’s shirt. If he did, he didn’t comment on it. Rose sometimes wondered if he even remembered the little things, like how John had used to dress.

On the way to the cemetery they stopped to get fresh flowers. Rose knew that John would probably have told her off for spending the little money she had for herself on flowers for him, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Jack knew where to go, and ran ahead. The weather was gloomy, but it had not yet rained.He put the card down carefully, and Rose put attached a string to the corner and a small tree at the grave shared by him and their daughter. Jack stood at Rose’s side and looked at the headstone.

“Happy father’s day,” he whispered. “I miss you, Daddy. Don’t worry, I’m still taking care of Mummy.” Tears running down his cheeks and he was clinging to his mother’s side.

“I hope you have a great day with my little sister up in heaven, and that you read my card. I’m sorry about the tape. It broke. But Mummy helped me mend it again,” he explained. “I did something bad, Daddy. I hit the girl who broke it. I know it wasn’t nice, and I promised Mummy that I would apologise to her tomorrow.”

He looked up at Rose. “Do you have anything you want to tell Daddy?”

Rose shook her head. “You just talk to him now. Tell him about how you are doing, and such.”

Jack nodded. “I still like going to school. Miss Smith is very nice, and she lets me call her Sarah Jane sometimes when no one else is around. I’m getting very good at reading, but my handwriting is still not-so-good. But I still hope you can read my card. I made Mummy write it on the back, just in case you can’t… Mummy say’s I’m very picky right now, but I don’t know what that means. She just said that it had nothing to do with pigs.”

Rose was smiling down at him the entire time. He was growing up so fast, and he looked so much like his father.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Jack remarked. “Me and Mummy are going on a vacation! To Berries!” he said proudly.

“Paris, Jack,” Rose whispered to him.

“Right sorry, Paris. Mummy said we are taking a train there. I’m very excited,” he said. “We can try French crepes, Mummy said. I didn’t know what it was, but she said ‘It’s just pancakes from France’… Oh, and Mummy said that maybe Father Christmas would give me a puppy for Christmas.”

He slipped his hand into Rose’s to get her attention. “I don’t know what else to tell him,” he sighed.

Rose nodded. “Then say goodbye to him.”

Jack shuffled nervously. “All right. Goodbye, Daddy. I love you very, very much. I’ll be good until I see you again. And I’ll eat an extra crepe for you.”

Rose chuckled, stepping closer. She kissed her fingers, pressing them against the headstone close to his name “Goodbye, John. I love you,” she whispered, a single tear falling.

She got up and took Jack’s hand, and they left together.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for Rose, and the Doctor makes an attempt at apologising to her.

The Doctor had tried finding Rose the following Monday morning, but she had apparently come and gone 20 minutes before school started. According to Sarah Jane, she had been called in to a meeting at work, and had to be there at 08.00. He had hoped to apologise to her, so she wouldn’t think that he was dragging it out.

He smiled at Jenny, who had just handed over her drawing to Jack. He waved at her before he left, but he wasn’t sure if she saw it. He was whistling as he drove to work and into the underground parking lot underneath the Gallifrey Enterprise building, in the heart of London.

Gallifrey Enterprise was a highly regarded insurance company, which his Father and Grandfather had founded together. Apart from this, the company also earned money from what he liked to think of as one of his many hobbies. He bought out failing companies and helped them get back on track, and then sold them on. This was a very profitable business, he had found. He put a little of the money into Jenny’s Child Savings Account. The rest was split evenly between going to the employees of his company and to various charities. Not long ago he had bought one company that he had sold on to Donna who had decided to make it her pet project.

He was almost at the top floor, when he realised that he had forgotten his briefcase in his car. He sighed and stopped the lift, going back down again. The lift had only gone two stories down when it stopped.  He looked up to see his twin sister step inside.

“Oh, hello,” he smiled. “Where are you going so early in the morning?”

“I’m off to hire a new PA,” Donna said simply.

“I thought you had one already… What was his name?”

“Elton, you mean? He transferred to PR. Poor thing, I think he was afraid of me.”

“You can be a bit… loud,” he said carefully.

She glared at him. “And what’s that supposed to mean, then?”

“Nothing… Just that you can be a bit intimidating to people who don’t know you.”

“You know, sometimes I wonder how you get any work done at all. You’re not exactly very diplomatic, are you?"

He huffed. “Of course I am…”

She laughed at him as they arrived back in the basement. “Except when it goes for your older sister?”

“Of course,” he said matter-of-factly.

She rolled her eyes at him. “This is my stop. 

He looked up and frowned. “But these are company cars only… I thought you were just going out to pick someone up.” He knew that she, like him, preferred her own car over the company cars, at least for short trips.

“Ah, but I’m not. I’m headhunting someone and I want to impress her.” She smiled, “Trust me, you’ll like her. I’m sure of it.”

~

Whilst she drove to work, Rose thought about what she would do if they had decided to fire her already. She would have to find another job, and quick. She had to provide for herself and Jack, and she couldn’t afford to borrow more money from the bank. She sighed. She hoped that if she were fired, she could just walk out of there without having to hear about it from everyone else working there. The only other decent person was Wilson the electrician, who she rarely ever saw.

She had put on her best clothes, and tried her best to look confident as she walked into work. All the other shop girls were looking at her. Right, so much for being discreet about it. She knocked on the door to her manager’s office, and was led inside. She was surprised to see not only her manager, but also Donna who had been here last Friday.

She feared that maybe she had gone too far. She had been rather forward with Donna, both in her manner of speaking and her approach. Maybe she had been too friendly with her… It had just been so long since she had had someone to talk to. She had thought that Donna had felt the same.

“Rose,” her manager, Lady Cassandra, started. “You know we all value you here,” she gave Rose a pointed look to let her know that she most certainly didn’t. “And you have been a very loyal employee. So I will be very sad to let you go, but I find that I have to.”

Rose shook her head. “Please, Cassandra… You know I need this job. I’m sorry if I were too forward… And I’m sorry that I had to leave early, but it was my son. He needed me. It’s in my contract. That I can leave if an emergency at his school arises, not that I can act disrespectful towards our customers. Not that I meant to be like that, of course.”

“Oh, I’m not firing you,” Cassandra said, obviously smug over the fact that she managed to make Rose beg one last time. She always picked on everyone, especially Rose because she grew up in a council estate and was a single mother. It wasn’t so bad that anyone would take Rose’s complaints seriously, but those daily snide remarks hurt.

“You… You’re not?” Rose asked, surprised. Oh, of course. That was so like Cassandra. Make her squirm and beg like a trained monkey, just for fun.

Donna cleared her throat. “I’d like to take over from here. We met this Friday, Rose. I didn’t introduce myself properly, though. My name is Donna Noble.”

Rose blinked at her. Donna Noble. As of little over a year ago, she owned the chain of stores Rose worked for.

“So you know who I am, then,” Donna smiled. “I have a position open further u in the company, and I feel that you would be much more suitable for that. I would like it if you came with me to my office so we can talk. What do you say?” she asked.

Rose nodded, completely lost for words. Was she dreaming? Surely she had to be. Things like these just didn’t happen in real life. Not to her, at least. 

Donna smiled and led her outside. On the way out, Rose made sure to recall the look on the rest of girl’s faces as they left. Outside an actual limousine was waiting, with a driver and everything. “That’s yours?” she asked Donna 

Donna and nodded. “I have to admit that I only brought it so I could show off to that horrid boss of yours,“ she smiled, getting in.

Rose couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not supposed to be laughing at her, am I? But god, she’s such a bitch…”

Donna laughed too. “Oh, I like you Rose.”

 

They made small talk on the way to the office.

“So, Rose. You have a son?” Donna asked.

“Yeah, Jack. But don’t worry, he won’t be a problem. He usually doesn’t do anything like what he did last week, it was just that one of the other kids said something about his father…” she trailed off.

“Is his father no longer in the picture?” Donna asked, trying to be polite. 

Rose bit her lip “No… My husband died almost 4 years ago. He was hit by a car.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Donna said. Hold on… Her twin had told her something similar. Jenny had gotten into a fight with a boy about his father’s day card, and then when he had met up with the mother of the boy in question, he had insulted her and her husband, before finding out that she was a widow.

'Well, this could be interesting.

Rose nodded. “Yeah, so am I… Do you have kids?” she asked, trying to steer the subject away.

“Not yet, no,” she sighed. “Me and my husband Lee have been trying but… We are looking into adoption now... 

Rose nodded. “I understand.”

They both looked out their respective windows for awhile, not sure what to say.

“So...” Rose started, “If I do get the job you want to hire me for, what exactly will I be doing?”

“Oh, well I need a new personal assistant,” Donna said “There might be some fetching coffee for me, but most of all I need your help judging designs. I do that, as the owner of the chain. I do other things too, but in the beginning it will just be that. You were honest with me last Friday, and I liked that. When I looked at that black dress I tried on, I can’t even think about how that made it off the paper, much the less got my approval. It was ghastly. And you were the only one to tell me so. That will be your job for now. Have you ever been a PA before?”

Rose listened carefully and shook her head. “Never. I worked in a shop when I met my husband. He was a doctor so he earned enough for us to live of, so I could study. But when he died… What I’m saying is, I’m not sure I’m qualified for that… I didn’t even finish my A-levels…” she admitted.

Donna shrugged. “Before I came here, I was a temp. Sometimes you don’t need a degree to have the necessary skills.”

Rose smiled. “Is it okay if I think about it? I have Jack to think about, after all… I have to take him and his needs into consideration.”

“Oh, of course. Don’t worry, I can guarantee that you will earn more than you do now, and we can adapt your work hours to when you need to pick him up after school. Don’t worry. We even have a day-care here.”

“Are you really sure you want me?” Rose asked.

Donna nodded. “Of course. You don’t belong down there,” she said.

Rose bit her lip nervously. “All right then. I think I’d like to take the job, but I still need a little time,” she said, trying to sound confident.

Donna nodded. “You think it through a few days. We can talk payment and working hours now, so you know what you will be getting into.”

~

 When Rose left Donna’s office later, it was with a smile on her face. If she accepted the job, she would be paid almost three times as much as she was now.  She would have a long late lunch break so she could pick up Jack and bring him back, and she could leave with plenty of time left for both shopping and cooking once the day was over. Really there was no downside to this. She got into the lift and took out her phone so she could text Martha. However, her happiness was cut short when she looked up and saw none other than Jenny’s Father.

Of course. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she was having a good day and here he was to spoil it. It had been naive of her to think that things would turn that easily, and seeing this man was just a reminder of it. She tried to avoid looking at him, yet she straightened her back not to seemed fazed by his presence.

“What are you doing here?” the Doctor asked her.

Rose wasn’t really sure what to say “I had a job interview.”

He frowned. “We aren’t hiring anyone… Unless… No…“ He pulled out his phone, dialing someone 

Rose gaped at him. First he yelled at her, and then he ignored her. Did this man have no manners at all 

“Donna?” he barked, “Yes, it’s me… You’re hiring her? No, that’s the woman from Jenny’s class… Yes, the one I was a twat to… You’re hiring her?”  He was quiet for a while and then sighed. “I’ll talk to you later.

He looked up at her. “Right, sorry about that. It was my sister Donna, but you already met her, I’m guessing.”

“Is that why the lift is empty?” Rose asked, because she had no other idea what to say.

“What?” he asked.

“Well, if you are CEO, is that why the lift is empty except for me? ‘Cause no one wants to be stuck in a lift with the boss.”

He laughed. “You know, that would explain something. Now, Mrs Tyler-Smith, I would like to ask you something.”

Rose frowned. “And what might that be, then?”

“I realise that I was being, well a bit of a git, last Friday. Actually, I was downright rude. And I’m sorry about that. I would very much like to start over, especially if you are going to work with my sister.”

Rose didn’t really know what to say. On one side, he had insulted her and Jack, but on the other side he seemed genuine… And if he was going to be her boss (Well technically, he owned the store she worked in, so he was already), she should probably try to get along with him.

“I… All right, then,” she said against her better judgement.

His face lit up. “Really? I have to admit, I hadn’t expected that to work…Not without some serious bribery, anyway.”

“Bribery? Like what?” she laughed.

“Well… I could offer to bake for you at the next school bake sale. Or, I could offer you to be my plus one at a fundraiser I’m hosting next month. What do you say?” he asked.

“I can’t do that,” she sighed. “I have to look after Jack. And I’m sure your wife wouldn’t like it if I stole you away. 

“Oh, I’m not married. And, children are welcome,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she asked nervously.

“Of course. Although, there is one thing. 

“What?”

“Well, I can hardly take you out if I don’t know your name. And I’m not sure Mrs Tyler-Smith will do.”

She laughed. “Of course. My name is Rose,” she said, reaching out to shake his hand.

“Hello Rose, I’m the Doctor,” He introduced himself.

She frowned. “The Doctor? Just the Doctor?”

He nodded. “Just that.”

“What, are you actually a Doctor?” she asked.

“Well… Not a medical Doctor. But I do have a doctorate,” he said proudly.

Rose couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of it.

“All right then, Doctor. I’ll go with you to this fundraiser…”


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we look more into Rose and Jack's lives. A slightly shorter chapter than usually.

Rose had been told to take the rest of the week off so she could think about whether or not she wanted to take the job. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted the job, really, but she still had to talk to Jack and Martha about it. Taking the job would mean longer work hours, but also more money for them. She wasn’t sure how Jack would react. After they had lost John he had been much more clingy and dependant on her, not liking to be away from her for more than a few hours. She knew that he would have to grow out of it soon, as his school days became longer, and this would be a good way for him to get more comfortable with it. If he needed her she would be near, but he would also have time to himself. On her way home, she had gone out and bought something nice to eat, even buying a bottle of wine for her and Martha. After getting home, she spent the rest of the day cooking and cleaning before picking Jack up. She was almost a little disappointed not to see the Doctor, but apparently Jenny had had to go home in the middle of the day because she had eaten something bad that made her feel sick.

Jack eagerly told her about his day on the way home, and didn’t stop until they were in their building “So, how was your day Mummy?” he asked.

“You know what Jack? I had a great day,” she smiled. “Mummy was offered a new job today. And the two of us were invited to a fancy dinner party.”

“But Mummy? If you get a new job, will you still have time for me?” he asked, exactly as she had predicted he would.

She could see the fear of losing her growing in his eyes, so she picked him up and smiled at him when she felt that he was shaking a little. “Of course, Jack. I will always have time for you. But, things will be a little different. After school you are going to my new work instead, where someone will look after you. There might be other children, but at least I know that Jenny from your class is there.” she reassured him, stroking his cheek.

“I apologised to her today,” he said proudly. “She said it was okay, and she apologised too. So we can be friends again, now.”

“I’m glad to hear that, love,” Rose replied, ruffling his hair. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Now, when you see Martha, I think you should give her a hug. She had her last exam today, and she is probably very relieved that it’s over.”

He nodded, and ran inside. “Mummy, uncle Mickey is here too,” he called happily.

Rose smiled. She knew that Martha and Mickey were head over heels for each other, but they had agreed a long time ago that they would wait to start a relationship until Martha was done with her studies.

“All right, maybe we should wait a little with the hug... Do you have any homework?” She asked.

Jack shook his head. “Tomorrow’s the day we are going to the museum, remember?

“That’s right, sorry,” she said.

He then proceeded to tell her about all the things he would see at the museum. Rose did pay attention, but he spoke so fast that it was hard to understand at times. Rose smiled when she saw Martha and Mickey walk in, with their arms around each other. Mickey let go of her so he could sneak closer and pick Jack up from behind.

“Uncle Mickey!” He laughed.

“Oh, that trick is no fun anymore. You always know that it’s me.”

Jack just kept laughing, “You know what, Uncle Mickey? I’m going to the museum tomorrow,” he said. Rose knew that he would want to tell Mickey all about it, but she really wanted to speak to Martha. 

Mickey nodded, apparently thinking the same as Rose. “I heard you talking about it. Why don’t we go into the living room and you can tell me all about it?” he asked, knowing that Martha and Rose probably wanted to talk privately. 

Jack nodded eagerly, pulling Mickey out of the room, already going on about what he likes the most at the museum, whilst promising Mickey that he would show him his new favourite TV show.

Rose smiled after them and pulled Martha into a hug “Congratulations, Martha! I’m so happy for you” She said happily.

Martha hugged her back. “Well I still don’t have my results. But I’m almost certain that you are talking to the future Dr Martha Jones,” she said, very proud of her achievement.

“Or is it perhaps, the future Dr Martha Smith?” Rose teased, nodding towards Mickey.

Martha blushed. “We agreed to go on a date. We don’t know where it’s leading. Maybe it will turn out that we are better off as friends,” she shrugged.

Rose nodded. “Celebrations are in order, anyway. I got the rest of the week off, and I already cooked for us,” she announced.

“Hold on, you got the rest of the week off…” she lowered her voice. “You weren’t sacked, right?” she whispered so there was no chance that Jack would hear it.

Rose shook her head and beamed at her. “I was offered another job. A better one. The hours are longer, but I will be paid almost four times as much as I am now.”

Martha pulled her in for another hug. “Oh Rose, that’s great. I’m so happy for you.”

Rose nodded. “But I only found it because of the shop. Do you remember the customer from last Friday I told you about? Yeah, turns out she owns the company. She wants to make me her PA.”

“See, I told you that you could do better than that shop…”

Rose smiled and nodded. “I was given the week off so I could think about it. I wanted to talk to you about it, actually. You and Jack. I really want it, but it concerns you too.”

Jack had pulled Mickey into the kitchen again. “Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!” He said fast, demanding her attention. “Can uncle Mickey stay over for dinner? He promised that he would behave.”

Rose and Martha both laughed. “Oh, he can stay,” Rose smiled “I cooked earlier. We are celebrating tonight.”

~

After Rose had tucked Jack in, they had opened the bottle of wine and talked for a few hours until Mickey had to leave. Martha went to bed too, and Rose had volunteered to wash the glasses they had been drinking from. She had never been good at holding her wine, and after drinking nothing alcoholic for months, the three glasses she drank had still left her slightly tipsy. By the time she realised it was too late to do anything about it. She thought about this whilst she clumsily cleaned the glasses. John had always teased her about it, but had also made sure that if she did drink more than she could handle, she made it safely back home and into bed.

She could really use that help now. She stumbled a bit, bumping her toes on the furniture several times. She tried to be as quiet as possible, for Jack’s sake. She put on her pyjamas and lay down in bed, forgetting to brush her teeth. She sighed and looked at the picture she had of her and Jack at the bedside table.

“Everything will get better soon Jack. I promise,” She whispered, touching the picture. She looked over at the boy in question. He was deep asleep and Rose smiled. She was so happy that she had him. She wasn’t sure if she would have made it the last three years without him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we are. I'm sorry that I didn't publish it on Thursday, like I usually do. I'm visiting my family abroad, and we forgot our socket converter, so I was out of power. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be published, but I know that it will go back to normal soon.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose and the Doctor get to know each other further

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a brief mention of abortions and unplanned pregnancies in this chapter.

The week came and went faster than Rose would have thought possible. It was lovely having a little time to herself, although she did spend one day home with Jack so they could talk about what taking the new job would mean. He had been a little unhappy with the idea at first, but as soon as Rose told him that she no longer had to work in the weekend he warmed up to it. Rose had also promised him that if it came to a point where she had to choose between him and her job, she would always chose him and would just find another job.

Jack had talked about his class’ trip to the museum the entire week, going on about everything that he had seen (he was particularly impressed by a stegosaurus skeleton, asking her several times if they could go there together so he could show her).

Rose hadn’t really known what to do with all the extra time at first, but by coincidence she stumbled upon some old photo albums, and spent an entire day looking through them. After that she had gone searching for other old memories, and she found most of her old school books, and the books that she and John had read together boxed up, and spend her nights looking through them. 

On the following Monday, Rose was standing outside the Gallifrey Enterprise building, nervously running her hands through her hair to try and smooth it out a bit. Her palms felt sweaty as she stepped inside. The foyer was spacious and the skylights made it feel even bigger. It took a few moments for her eyes to get used to the lights. It was more than twenty degrees Celsius outside, and the cool air of the air conditioning enveloped her as soon as the doors had closed, making her a little more comfortable. She looked around at the people making their way to work, chattering lightly with their friends and colleagues. She quickly noticed that none of them looked overly nervous or stressed, which was a comfort to her. She had called Donna on Thursday, telling her that she had talked to her family about it and that she did want the job. They had agreed to meet up so Rose could find out what her duties would be. She asked the receptionist for directions to Donna’s office, and was asked if she was Rose Tyler-Smith. After showing identification, she was handed a letter containing directions, a coffee order, and some money.

She went to a nearby Starbucks, getting the coffee from the list. She was careful not to spill it, as she wanted to make a good impression on her new co-workers. However, on the way back she couldn’t get the list of directions out of her pocket with her hands as full as they were. Most of the drinks were lukewarm by the time she finally found the right office.

“I take it you didn’t understand the directions?” Donna asked when she saw her. Rose had feared that she might be angry, but she seemed happy. Everyone helped themselves to their drinks, going back to work after introducing themselves to her. She tried to remember all of them, but only a few names stuck. She remembered Tosh and Gwen, who had been the first to greet her, and Adam who had seemed a little too interested in her.

“I should have found someone to ask for the way. Sorry,” she apologised to Donna after everyone had gone back to work.

“Oh, don’t mind that. We did want to send someone down to get you, but we were all busy. Something came up overnight and we had to deal with it,” she explained as they walked into her office. She pointed to a free desk across from her. “That’s yours.”

Rose nodded, putting her bag down next to the desk. There was almost nothing on it, except for a laptop. upon opening the drawers Rose found other things such as pens and paper, but apart from that there was nothing else. It looked brand new to her, making Rose wonder if she was the first PA Donna had ever had. Surely she couldn’t be.  She looked up when Donna’s cell phone started ringing.

“I’ll just go out and answer this,” she said, leaving the room. Rose didn’t want to just stand there, so she started setting up the computer whilst Donna was gone. She had never actually worked in an office before, so she had no idea what it was going to be like.

Donna stepped back in, putting her phone back in her pocket as she did so. . “I’ve arranged for someone to show you around and take you for lunch. He should be outside by the lifts. After that, you can go home. I’ll email you some files to read for tomorrow, okay?”

Rose smiled and nodded “Are you sure?" 

“Of course I’m sure. Now go, or he’ll get impatient and break something by accident,” she laughed.

Rose picked up her back and stepped outside. She told the rest of her co-workers goodbye and that it was lovely to meet them before navigating back to the lifts. She was surprised by who was waiting for her. She had most definitely not expected to see the Doctor… He was probably here to talk to Donna.

Except, he was smiling at her.  “Hello, Rose. I am here to be your guide around this fine establishment,” he said.

“Really? But aren’t you busy?” she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Well… I stayed at home because a certain someone claimed that she was sick again, but as soon as I was looking away she was jumping around on the furniture. I left her with the nanny so I could come in and get something, and called Donna. She asked me if I could just give you a tour of the place, and I could hardly refuse, when the company would be so good, ” he explained, offering his arm. 

She smiled at him, biting her lip “All right then, Doctor, lead the way,” She said, putting her hand in the crook of his arm.

He started by showing her around her floor, pointing out where to find the bathroom, the stairs, the coffee machine (“But you shouldn’t drink that stuff. If you go to the Starbucks just down the road, Joan will give you an extra shot for free. She’s there every day during the week.”) until they had ended up back in front of the lift.

“Watch this,” he whispered to her. The lift arrived a few seconds later, and as soon as they saw him they scrambled to get out. “You can stay,” he said casually. Most of them got out anyway, but a few of them stayed. “See?” he whispered to Rose “We have proved your hypothesis. They are all scared of me.”

She fought back a giggle until they were all alone in the lift. ”Did you see their faces?”

He laughed too. “I know. See, I’ve worked here for 0 years, and I’ve never even considered that. I just thought most people preferred to take the stairs.”

She covered her mouth as to not giggle again, but as soon as she looked up at him they both broke into another fit of laughter together.

“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked once she had sobered up and had caught her breath.                  

“Up…” he said, popping the P.

“I can see that… But what’s up there?” she asked, nudging his shoulder.

“Oh, my office. Well, that and the roof. But I don’t think you want to go there, it’s awfully windy.”

“Oh…”

“Well, we’re here. Almost, anyway,” he smiled, getting out.

A woman sitting behind a desk looked up. “Hello, Mr Noble ,” she greeted him.

He sighed “Harriet, I have told you time and time again that you can call me Doctor. I know that my father preferred Mr Noble, but it’s a bit pretentious, I think,” he said. “Oh and, I’m having a meeting with Mrs Tyler-Smith here. She’s Donna’s new PA. We don’t want to be disturbed. Unless of course the building is on fire or something, then some disturbance would be nice…” He led Rose into another lift.

“This is…” Rose started.

“Marvellous? Awesome? Impressive? “ The Doctor suggested, grinning smugly.

She bit her lip to hide a smile “I was going to say posh. Can’t say I’ve ever been in a private lift before.”

He chuckled, “Oh, this is just for show. Mostly. I would love to sit downstairs with the other workers, but this has always been the CEO’s office, so I couldn’t really change it. So I sit up here, all alone, at the top of the building,” he explained. Despite the differences he had shared with his father when he was alive, he liked to honour him and his wishes now that he was no longer alive.

She looked out one of the shaded panorama windows. “Wow,” she breathed when she saw the view. She could see almost all of London from up here. It reminded her of the time her and John had been on the London eye together. The Gallifrey Enterprise building was located in the heart of London, and she could see all the major landmarks from up here. She was glad that she had never been afraid of heights, because this sight was truly remarkable. She unconsciously pressed a hand against the glass, enjoying the view and looking at the people walking below.

The Doctor smiled at her reaction. He wasn’t sure about what to do yet, but he certainly wanted to learn more about Rose. And whilst doing that, he was trying to deny his growing attraction for her. He didn’t have time to be in a relationship, what with being the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world and with Jenny who was his first priority above all else. Besides, Rose was obviously still in love with her late husband. He had probably ruined all chances of that, anyway, with how he had acted the first time they met. He had been surprised that she had been willing to forgive him so quickly. Had it been anyone else, he would doubt that he would doubt that he actually was forgiven.

But not when it was her. She was just so… Rose. There was nothing else that could explain it. She was beautiful, clever, ernest, and caring. He had never met someone so full of life and hope as her, and he admired her for spreading happiness like that when she had been through so much. He wasn’t sure why she had decided to forgive him, but he certainly wasn’t going to waste this second chance with her... But, no. There was so much that could go wrong, and even if for some reason she felt the same, they could both end up with a broken heart. He couldn’t do that to her, or to Jack and Jenny. If they did give it a chance, and split up, who knew what it would do to the children and their friendship?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw her lips moving. “Sorry, what?” he asked, blinking at her.

She chuckled “I was just asking you why we came up here.”

“Oh,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, there’s a reason for that. You see, every day I pick up Jenny and bring her here. The Nanny comes here too, and looks after her.” He opened one of the doors leading away from the office.

“This is her play room. Right here with me. And I thought that maybe Jack would want to spend his afternoons here too, since they are friends. If not, there is another employee daycare too, but it’s usually very crowded. Jenny went there a few times, but the other kids kept picking on her so now she is up here.”

Rose nodded “I’m sure he would love that… If it’s okay with her, that is. I can assure you that Jack won’t pick on her.”

“Oh, I know, she only speaks kindly of him. Well, except last week,” he said, feeling embarrassed. “I’m still sorry about that, by the way. I was very rude to you. Plus, I ruined your shirt.”

She looked down. “I’m the one who should be apologising. I got so angry that I hit you. I just lost my temper and didn’t even think.”

“I was being purposefully disrespectful, to try and provoke you,” he admitted. “I don’t blame you. Honestly, I’m a little glad you did it. I think it knocked some sense into that thick skull of mine.” He tried joking to cheer her up, but it didn’t seem to work.

“No, but I blame myself,” she sighed. “John… He was very much against violence. He was in the army when he was young, and after that he would do anything to avoid violence. Only once in the entire time I knew him did I see him use the self-defence he knew, and even then, he only held the person trying to rob us down until the police arrived. He would be ashamed if he had seen that." 

“I… I’m sure he wouldn’t, Rose,” he said softly, taking her hand. “Really. I was pushing all the right buttons to make you angry, and on purpose even.”

She sighed, looking away.

“Hey there,” he said, “how about we agree that we are both sorry, and that we forgive each other and ourselves?”

She nodded. “I think that is a good idea." 

He smiled at her. “Alright, then, tell you what? I’ll order us some lunch, and we can talk while we eat, yeah?”

A smile started forming on her face. “Yeah… No wait, I can’t. I have to pick up Jack. My car broke down a few days ago, so I have to take the tube,” she sighed.

He considered it. “I can drive you there, and back to your home,” he offered.

“Really?” she asked, smiling.

“Of course.”

She nodded. “Thank you, so much.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. I want all my employees happy. Now, what do you want for lunch?” he asked.

She considered it. “I know it’s probably not something you usually have, but how about chips?” she suggested.

He smiled and nodded. “Oh, I love chips. Have them all the time. I’ll ask Harriet to order some from my and Jenny’s favourite place, and it will be here soon.”

~

During their lunch they got to know each other better, talking and laughing.

“Can I ask you something?” Rose said.

He nodded. “Anything.”

“What happened to Jenny’s mother?”

He looked away, sighing. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Rose said immediately.

“No, no. It’s fine,” he said. “I’m just not comfortable talking about it, because I don’t want Jenny to know yet... I don’t want her to think that she wasn’t wanted. One night I got exceptionally drunk and had a one night stand, well actually a shag in a bathroom of a pub, but that’s hardly the point. A few months later the woman called me back and told me she was pregnant. She didn’t want to keep Jenny, but she didn’t want to get an abortion either,” he explained.

“As soon as I heard her heartbeat the first ultrasound scan, I knew there was no way I could give her up… And yes, I know that sounds cliché,” he chuckled.

She nodded. “Yeah… I understand. I was the same.”

He smiled “You know, I’m sure he would be proud of you. Your husband, I mean. I would be, if it had been me.”

She blushed a little, but smiled up at him “I like to think so too. If he is somewhere out there and can see us… I hope that he would be proud of us.”


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the time of the fundraiser have come, and Jack has a talk with the Doctor.

The first four weeks came and went quickly. Rose worked with Donna in the morning, and then she and John drove to the school to pick up Jack and Jenny. After that they would all share lunch together, and the Doctor and Rose would return to work once they were done. Jack was very happy with this arrangement, since he got to spend more time with Jenny who was quickly becoming his new best friend, and their nanny Clara, who he absolutely adored.  Rose enjoyed it too. She was happier than she had been for years, and it seemed to rub off on everybody she met.

Luckily the fundraiser that the Doctor had invited her to was set to take place on a Saturday, so she had plenty of time to get herself and Jack ready. First she made Jack take a bath, which he wasn’t very happy about.

 “No, Mummy, no!” he protested, trying to get away from the bath. “I am clean… Pretty please, Mummy,” he begged her. He would much rather be playing than this. Even if he had her full attention, he still didn’t like getting his hair washed.

Rose shook her head. “You needed a bath anyway, it’s been a few days. I know you want to play, and you can do that afterwards,” she assured him, putting him into the tub and starting to fill it up. She also put in some of his toys, which made him a little more content with it. “Besides, there are going to be lots of people who will want to dance with you, but if you aren’t clean they might not want to anyway.”  

He considered what she had said. “All right. But you have to hurry, Mummy. I want to show uncle Mickey my new toys.”

She nodded. With the added money to their monthly budget, she had finally been able to buy new clothes for them both, and new toys for Jack. She had always felt guilty when she couldn’t buy Jack the things he wanted, and even though he understood that they didn’t have as much money as his friends’ families, she still wanted him to have the best imaginable childhood. She had saved the rest of the extra money for her and Jack’s trip to France that was now only 4 weeks away. She had feared that they wouldn’t be able to go anyway because of her new job, knowing how much Jack had been looking forward to it, but by a lucky coincidence Donna was going away the very same week, so there was no need for Rose to come in.

“All right. That’s a deal, then,” she said. She washed his hair as fast as she could without getting water in his eyes, so he wouldn’t get impatient. Jack seemed happy with this, and he babbled about what the party would be like the entire time.

“Mummy?”

“Yes Jack?” she asked.

“Will you dance with me?” he asked  “At the party.”

She smiled and nodded “Yeah, I’d like to dance with you. I’m sure everyone else will be jealous that I get to dance with such a handsome boy, though,” she said, ruffling his wet hair.

He nodded happily. “Of course they will. But jealous of me too, cause I have the prettiest Mummy of them all.”

She smiled at him, wrapping him up in a big fluffy towel before handing him his robe “Thank you, Jack. Now, you go and put something on. Not what you are wearing tonight, though, and then show uncle Mickey your toys.”

After that she took a shower herself, taking her time. It had been years since she had been to anything as posh as this, and she loved that she finally have an excuse to dress up.  She was doing her makeup in front of the mirror, thinking about everything that had happened in the last few weeks  Oh, she still missed John. Very, very much. Every day. But for the first time in years she felt like she was actually making progress in moving on.

For such a long time, she had been unhappy. But now, she finally started feeling better. Jack had noticed too, and he was happy that his Mummy was better. He couldn’t remember very much from before his father died, only snippets of his happiest memories. She sighed, looking at her own reflection. Every morning, when he was still alive, John would walk up behind her and hold her whilst she did her makeup. It had started when she was pregnant with Jack, but after that they had both gotten so used to it that they just continued. It hadn’t been terribly practical, but it had been worth getting up 10 minutes early for, because it brightened up both their days.

It had been one of the things she missed the most after he died. It had taken her a few weeks to get out of the habit of waiting for him before getting ready. There had been other little things too. Like when she forgot that she had to cook for two and not three. Or that she would sometimes pass something to him, only for it to fall to the floor and break.  When she had stopped doing these things, it had been easier not only for herself but also for Jack. It was then that she realised how much his emotions had been mirroring hers.

So she pretended. For her son. Pretended that she was alright, and because of that Jack was alright too. He became outgoing again, and stopped crying as much. Martha moved in, because it was closer to her work, and it helped Rose pay the bills. But whilst Jack got better, Rose felt like she was wasting away.  And then her little baby girl died, and she just couldn’t go on any more. Mickey practically lived on their couch, taking care of Jack, while Rose finally mourned properly. She lost a lot of weight, and almost didn’t go out in the following months. But then one day she realised something. Jack was avoiding her.

Whether it was intentional or not, he would leave the room almost as soon as she entered. One day she hadn’t been able to take it anymore, and she had sat him down with her in the living room. 

“Jack, did Mummy do something wrong?” she had asked him, taking his hand.

He shook his head. “No, you’re the bestest Mummy in the whole world.”

“Then why do you always leave whenever I walk into the room you’re in?” she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Uncle Mickey says that you are very sad, and that you need time to yourself,” he answered simply.

“Oh, Jack,” she said, “You don’t have to stay away just because I’m sad. He just meant that I was too sad to cook and clean, and help you get ready for school. Do you know what I really need to get better?” she asked, smiling a little.

He shook his head, finally looking up at her.

“I need lots of lots of hugs. From you. You think you can help me with that?”

He nodded enthusiastically and threw himself into her arms, “Mummy, please get better,” he whispered.

Rose held him close. “Don’t worry. I think I’m done being sad now, Jack,” she whispered back, really meaning it, because in that very moment she realised that even though she had lost everyone else she cared for, she still had Jack so she still had a reason to go on.

After that she had started working in the shop, and after another month Mickey had moved back to his own apartment, when she was finally capable of taking care of herself and Jack again. And here she was, almost three years later, and she was finally starting to be properly happy again.

There was just one thing that made her feel guilty. She was more than a little attracted to the Doctor, but whenever she thought about it, she felt like she was cheating on John. She knew that he would want her to have a fantastic life without him, but all this time she had never considered that some day something like this might actually happen. Whenever she thought about it, she felt bubbly and light, but she was immediately dragged back to earth by the guilt that followed. It was all so confusing, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She finished off her makeup and dressed in loose clothes she could get out of fast, for when she had to change later. The Doctor was picking Rose and Jack up at six o’clock, so she still had forty minutes which was plenty of time for her to finish.

She styled her hair in elegant curls, fastening the hair that framed her cheeks at the back of her head.

“Jack?” she called. 

“Yes, Mummy?” he called back, running back to the bedroom.

“Come in here, please. You’re getting dressed now.”

He ran in, hugging her again. “Jenny called me, Mummy. They are on their way in a big car,” he smiled.

“What, Already? We will have to hurry. Sit down,” she instructed, helping him change into a shirt a pair of trousers. She handed him his jacket. “You can go and wait for them and tell them that Mummy is on her way, okay?”

He nodded, walking back into the living room. Whilst he waited Martha let Jenny and her father in.

“You look pretty,” he told Jenny.

She nodded. “You too.”

Jack pulled at the Doctor’s trouser leg. “Jenny’s Daddy? Can I talk to you?” he asked, trying to sound as serious and grown-up as possible.

The Doctor looked down at him with a bemused smile. “Alright. But we better make it quick. It would be rude of us to leave the girls waiting, don’t you think?” he said, while they walked away from Jenny’s earshot.

“Sit down.” Jack said, nodding towards the couch. The Doctor complied, wondering what this was all about. Jack was obviously trying to appear serious.

“Jenny’s Daddy… Doctor,” Jack started.

“Yes?”

“What are your n’tenshuns with my Mummy?” he asked, crossing his arms and tried to make a serious face, that looked mostly like a pout.

The Doctor couldn’t help but laugh at this. Jack looked so serious, and it was obvious that he cared a lot about his mother, but this the Doctor had not expected. “Well, for now I intend to take her to the party, and we can all four have fun there. Actually, that’s my intention. Rose is my friend, and I want to have fun with her,” he said.

Jack narrowed his eyes. “My Mummy was very sad,” he said. “But now she is happy. I don’t want her to be sad again.”

He nodded. “Neither do I, Jack. I care a lot for your mother. Trust me, I won’t let anyone hurt her.”

Jack gave him one last suspicious look before nodding and smiling. “Alright. Let’s go back to Jenny.”

“I might be tempted to ask you about your intentions for my daughter,” he teased.

Jack gave him a funny look “I don’t actually know what n’tenshuns means. I just wanted to know if you were going to hurt Mummy. I heard it on the telly.”

He laughed. “Well… It means something you want to do. Like a plan,” he explained.

“Oh,” Jack said. “That makes sense…” he paused, looking to the side. “You look nice, Mummy.”

The Doctor looked up, his mouth falling open. ‘Look nice’ was definitely an understatement. “You’re beautiful, Rose,” he managed to stammer out. She was wearing a midnight blue dress with a corset. The skirt consisted of several layers of a light material that went down to the middle of her calf. When she moved the material of the dress caught the light, making it look like a starry night.

Rose bit her lip nervously and smiled. “You look pretty handsome yourself.”

They just stood there, beaming at each other, until Jack got impatient and pulled at his mother’s dress. “Mummy, can we go now?”

Rose turned her head and smiled at him. “Of course we can,” she said, carefully lifting him up.  

The whole way there, Jack and Jenny went on about how much fun it was to be in a limousine, constantly asking about different features of it. The Doctor was very patient with them, telling them what everything did and why they shouldn’t take it apart.

They pulled over, and Rose looked outside. “You never told me there would be photographers” she whispered to the Doctor.

He smiled. “Well, when you are as influential as me, you are bound to attract a few paparazzi,” he said.

“Oh, don’t be so smug,” Rose teased, nudging his shoulder. “Will I do, though? I didn’t dress for a red-carpet-event. I thought it would be more down to Earth.”

He nodded. “Oh, Rose. You will more than ‘do’.. You are absolutely stunning, and I have no doubt that you will be the most beautiful woman in the room.”

She blushed. “Nah, I won’t” she said with a smile.

“Rose, of…”

She shook her head. “I won’t, because Jenny will be there with us.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Ah, but you see. She will be the most beautiful girl. You will be the most beautiful woman.”

She chuckled. “All right, I surrender. Now, should we get out before they start wondering what’s going on in here?”

He blushed. “Let’s… And Rose?”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Will you dance with me tonight?”

She smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be saving my last dance for you… And maybe a few more, if you promise not to step on my toes.”

And with that they opened the door and stepped outside, and were swept away in a storm of camera flashes and questions being yelled at them.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is reunited with an old friend, and he and Rose have a talk.

Donna and her husband Lee met them inside, and they walked to their table together. Rose introduced herself to Lee whilst they waited in the wardrobe queue. He seemed nice, but it was obvious from his stuttering and constant shifting that he was nervous, so she went easy on the conversation until Donna returned.

They started by getting a drink each, and mingling with the other guests. Rose was introduced to a well of people, so many that she had to give up on remembering all of their names.

“I did not know the Doctor had fallen in love again. It is good.”

“Oh, we aren’t together,” Rose said, looking over at the Doctor who was completely engaged in a conversation with someone whose name had slipped her mind, but who she was sure he had called an old family friend. He was gesturing madly, running his fingers through his hair, making it stick up in every direction, when his enthusiasm for the subject of the conversation became too much. He was probably talking about science or astronomy, she decided. She realised that she had been staring at him, and quickly turned away before he could notice.

Leela smiled, following Rose’s gaze. “That is not what I said. I did not say that you are ‘together’ only that he is in love with you, and you with him.”

Before Rose could reply, she felt a hand at the little of her back “Rose?” the Doctor said, stepping up beside her “We are getting seated at our tables now. Oh… Leela...  I didn’t know you would be here tonight,” he said flatly.

Leela looked at him. “I did not plan to be here. But it is good to see you, Doctor.”

His features softened. “It’s good to see you too, Leela. It’s been a long time. Too long.”

“It was your own choice to stop seeing me,” Leela pointed out.

“You know it was necessary. For Jenny’s sake.”

“It was not necessary, but it was your choice. Yours and Romana’s.”

He sighed “Can we talk  about this later? Jenny and Rose’s son Jack are waiting for us.” The Doctor was smiling at Rose as they left

“Everyone you have talked to is telling me how nice you are. They all love you.”

Rose smiled “I don’t remember all their names, though. There were so many people, it was a bit overwhelming.”

He nodded “It can be. I’m lucky to have known most of these people since I was a very small child, so I have that advantage. My parents would have people over for dinner almost every night, and they always had to show me and Donna off,” he muttered. He had loved his parents, but his relationship with them had always been strained, especially with his father. Ever since he had first been allowed to look at the night sky through his grandfather’s telescope, the Doctor had wanted to be an astronomer. However, his father had had other plans for him, and Donna too for that matter. He had realised early that he would not be able to follow his dream, and settled for getting a doctorate in business management. He had almost forgotten about his interest in astronomy, until Jenny was born and she had shared it with him. She would often ask him to take her to the planetarium, or to go stargazing, on their days off, and he was happy to comply. He knew that his parents had meant well, but the problem was that his father had viewed the company as his child, as much as he had the Doctor and Donna, and he wanted to be sure that it stayed in the family after his death. He knew for certain that he would never choose Jenny’s future for her. No matter what she wanted he would support her.

“But anyway,” he started, nodding over at Donna who was sitting with Jenny and Jack at their table, “dinner is about to be served.”

Rose nodded, smiling over at them as they walked “What’s wrong?” she asked him, noticing how on edge he was.

He sighed. Of course Rose had noticed. “Leela is an old friend of mine,” he started

“So I gathered,” she urged him on.

“She is also a close friend of Romana. Jenny’s mother.”

“Oh,” Rose said, finally understanding, “are you afraid she’ll tell Jenny something?” she frowned.

He shook his head, “She knows how Romana and I feel about it, and she respects it. But, she doesn’t agree with Romana’s choice to have limited contact with Jenny,” he sighed.

“So you are afraid she will tell Jenny?”

“No…” he frowned, “Not afraid as such. I know she won’t tell Jenny anything. I guess I just don’t like being reminded that one day Jenny will want to know who her mother is, and I will have to tell her everything.”

Rose bit her lip, feeling sympathy towards both the Doctor and Jenny. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for him, having to hide such a big part of Jenny’s life from her. She squeezed his hand. “Jenny knows that she’s loved. She may not have a mother, but she has a loving family in you and Donna, yeah? Don’t worry.”

He smiled at her. “Rose, I… Thank you,” was all he could say. He wanted to tell her right then and there how much that had meant to him, and how much she meant to him. But then he looked up at her and saw her reassuring smile, and he knew that he couldn’t. Even though he had known her for a limited amount of time, he could still see from her body language and facial expression that she was so much happier than when he had first met her. There was a slight difference in the way she carried herself; she smiled more often, even when she thought no one was looking; She was more confident in her way of speaking and dressing. And for every day she became happier, he fell more and more in love with her. But it was clear to him that she only wanted him as a friend, so he didn’t want to spoil her joy by telling her of his feelings. So instead he leaned down and pulled her into a hug, which she immediately returned. This, he would allow himself.

She smiled at him and stood on her toes to kiss his cheek when he let her go. She bit her lip nervously and tugged at his hand. “Come on, we better get back to the others,” she said.

Jack and Jenny were both getting restless in their seats and were playing some sort of game that mostly involved them poking each other, whilst Donna tried her best to make them sit still. Jenny whispered something to Jack who looked up and laughed “Mummy?” he asked when he saw her. “Can we go to the zoo?”

“What, right now?” Rose asked.

He nodded. “Cause Jenny heard that all the animals are out of their cages at night, and I want to know of it’s true. And if it is, we want to see if we can take one of the penguins with us and keep it. We’re gonna name him Frobisher.”

Rose smiled, ruffling his hair. “I think we should let Frobisher stay at the zoo. Penguins like water, remember? He wouldn’t be happy in our flat.”

“I guess…” Jack said. “Maybe when I grow up I’ll buy us a big house with a big swimming pool so he can live with us.”

Rose was sat down, and was a little surprised when the Doctor pulled her seat out for her so she could hold the skirt of her dress without risking it getting stuck under a chair leg. She smiled at him as a thank you, and he sat down next to her.

They all made idle small talk until their starters (or main courses in Jack and Jenny’s case) were served. Several times investors or trade partners of Gallifrey Enterprise would come over and talk to Donna and the Doctor, but after awhile they started politely telling them to come back after dinner.

Rose looked down when Jack started pulling at her skirt, making a face at her. She smiled at him, getting up. “I know that face, come on, let’s go to the bathroom.” He smiled, taking her hand and pulling her along. Rose had noticed how Jack was thriving of the attention he was getting, and he seemed reluctant to leave the crowd. He was telling her about his latest school project, and Rose was so caught up in listening to all he had to say to notice where they were walking. Jack had his head turned so he could look up at her, and therefore didn’t notice when he walked into someone, pulling Rose with him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Rose told the woman they had bumped into. Rose wasn’t quite sure who she was, but certainly someone she had seen before in newspapers and magazines. Jack nodded “Sowy, lady,” he said, embarrassed. He backed against Rose’s legs when he noticed how the stranger was glaring at him.

“Watch where you are going next time, you little brat. I almost spilled my drink on my dress,” she said angrily to Jack, a faint French accent underlying her words.

Jack’s face crumbled, and he turned around to face Rose, as a loud wail escaped him. Rose crouched down and pulled him into a hug, giving him an opportunity to hide away in her embrace.

“I said sowy,” he bawled, as soon as he could form the words through his sobs.

Rose nodded, glaring at the stranger who was already walking away from him. How dare she?! Not only had the woman made Jack cry because she couldn’t control her anger, but she had also had the audacity to leave without as much as a word of apology.

She stood up, lifting Jack. “You were being nice and polite Jack, and the lady yelled at you for no reason. You haven’t done anything wrong at all. Don’t worry, darling.

He sniffled at her “But she yelled at me…”

Rose nodded, wiping his tears away. “She was the one not being nice. We should have been watching where we were going, but you apologised and she had no right to yell at you like that.”

“She was really mean,” Jack said, a small smile returning to his face.

Rose smiled at him and stroked his cheek. “Don’t worry, Jack. I’m not mad at you.”

Jack beamed at her, still hiccupping a little. His eyes shifted, and he pulled at Rose’s dress again. “Mummy, I still need to go,” he told her, writhing a little in her arms.

She nodded. “We better hurry, so we can get back before dessert.”

“There’s dessert too?” he asked happily.

“And I hear you’re having ice cream.”

He had finally stopped crying, and he smiled at her, “I like ice cream,” he remarked, sliding out of her arms. “Wait here,” he instructed, going into the men’s room.

Rose chuckled, leaning back against the wall. Having lost his father at such a young age meant that Jack could be very mature for a five year old, and sometimes she could forget that he was still so young, and new to the world. Part of her secretly wished that he had been younger when his father had died, just so he wouldn’t have to live with the pain of knowing that something was missing in his life. But a small selfish part of her was also happy that at least someone else understood what it was like when they lost John.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continues directly after chapter 9. Rose and the Doctor have their dance, and the the Doctor makes a new acquaintance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a technical error, I'm not quite sure if this is the betaed version of the chapter. So if you find mistakes, they are most definitely mine.

Rose sighed and looked around the room. Now that she was all on her own she felt a little out of place. Sure, she looked like she fitted in, and she could play the part perfectly. But when it came down to it, she was still just a girl who grew up at a council estate, where most of these people would probably never even consider setting foot, she had no education, and for years she had barely been able to support herself and Jack. And the Doctor… He was so infuriating. One moment he would be all charming and flirty, but the next he would be closed off and almost shy. When she had been talking to him about Jenny, she had really thought he was going to kiss her. She wasn’t actually sure how she would have reacted if he had. She would have liked it, she thought. She was beginning to realise that her developing feelings for him couldn’t be stopped. But, she just didn’t have the time or the opportunity to be with him right now. Jack had to be her first priority, and she was sure that the Doctor felt the same way about Jenny. And most of all, Rose still was, and probably always would be, in love with John. She wondered how it was possible for her to feel this way about two completely different men.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice that Jack had come back, until his hand slipped into hers.

“Ready to go?” Rose asked him, lifting him up again.

He nodded. “And I washed my hands and everything. All on my own.”

Rose smiled at him “That was very good, Jack. I want you to know that I have noticed how well you’ve been behaving tonight, and I want you to know that I’m very proud of you,” she told him. He smiled and nodded, happy that she had noticed. He was still a little out of it from getting yelled at by the woman they had bumped into, but it helped that Rose was hugging him to make it better, and that he was having ice cream now.

When they returned the dessert had already been served, and the Doctor and Donna were deep in conversation about how much of a success the fundraiser was this year.

The Doctor looked up, smiling at Rose “The first numbers just came in,” he informed her, smiling. “They’ve raised just over a thousand pounds so far.”

“That’s great!” Rose said. She said down, and tried to put Jack back in his seat and he reluctantly let go of her, still holding onto her hand. She could sense that he was still a little shaken from being yelled at by the stranger. However, as soon as his ice cream got there he sat down in his chair again, smiling around at everyone around the table.

After dessert some of the tables were cleared away, and a band started playing. Rose looked down at Jack.

“Do you still want to have that dance?” she asked him. He nodded happily, taking her hand and pulling her with him. She lifted him up and let him stand on her feet, much to his glee. What they did wasn’t dancing, more walking in circles, but they were both having fun so it didn’t matter to them.

“Look at you,” Rose said. “Such a good dancer. You know, in a few years I bet you will be so good at it that everyone will want to dance with you, and you won’t have time to dance with me anymore.”

He smiled up at her. “Don’t worry mummy, even when I’m better than you I will still dance with you.”

Rose saw the Doctor looking over at her out of the corner of her eye. “Then how about this, I can go and practice my dancing with the Doctor, while you show Jenny how good you are getting? And later, I can dance with you again so you can see if I’ve improved.”

He nodded, happy to get to help her. “Alright, see you, mummy,” he said, running over to Jenny.

She looked up at the Doctor who was still looking at her. “What’s wrong?” she frowned, looking down to see if she had spilled something.

The Doctor shook his head, taking her hand. “Oh, nothing is wrong. Don’t worry. I was just… Well, I was just trying to see something,” he said lamely.

Rose laughed. “Careful Doctor, a girl might get ideas,” she teased him.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” he blurted out, but realised his mistake. “Erh… drinks? I’ll go and get us some drinks, yes. It’s important to stay hydrated, especially in summer. Always remember that Rose,” he rambled starting to back away.

Rose tried to stop giggling. “I will. I’ll be waiting here.”

The Doctor tried to calm down a little while he was getting drinks for them. Had he just told her that he was interested in her? He knew that she didn’t want that with him. She might flirt with him, but she was obviously still in love with her late husband. Yet he had indirectly just told her about his feelings. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he mumbled to himself as he took two flutes of champagne from the buffet table.

“I’m sorry?” someone asked next to him.

He looked up at the blonde woman standing next to him. “Oh no, sorry. I was just talking to myself,” he said.

She laughed. “Oh, I have known many men to do so when they have something on their mind. I’m Reinette,” she said, extending a hand.

He put the champagne down to shake her hand. “I’m John. John Noble.”

“Oh, you are the one who arranged for this fundraiser!” she exclaimed, but covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry, mister Noble. That was terribly rude of me.”

He shook his head. “No worries. Considering that I just called you stupid, I think we’re even.”

She laughed. “Of course. I am just very excited to meet you. I am a great admirer of yours.”

He smiled “Listen, I’m really sorry but I have to get back to someone. I left her standing in the middle of the dance floor, and I don’t think she would b very happy if I got caught up in a conversation. But I would love to talk to you later. What table are you sitting at?”

She tried to remember. “I can’t recall the number. What’s yours, I can find you?”

“Mine’s easy. I’m at table One.”

“I’ll find you later. Maybe even have a dance?”

“That could be arranged. It was lovely meeting you, Reinette.” He said, going back to find Rose.

~

He found her at the edge of the dance floor, laughing with Jack and Jenny. “Be careful not to step on each other’s toes,” she said.

He walked up next to her, handing her the champagne. “I am still to see your dance moves,” he said, “Should I be prepared to have my toes stepped on?”

“Oh definitely not. I’m a great dancer, I’ll have you know. What about me?” she asked, standing a little closer to him.

“Erh,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She laughed, nudging his shoulder with her own. “Don’t worry. John was a terrible dancer too, so all my gala shoes are steel toed.”

Before he could ask if she was serious, she had pulled him unto the dance floor. He handed his glass to a waiter, and put his arms around her, all in one fluid motion.

“My my,” he teased her. “You do know how to dance. I’m impressed.”

“Of course I know how to dance. I can waltz and everything,” she said proudly.

He dipped her down and she squealed with a combination of surprise and laughter. She hid her face in his shoulder when he pulled her back up, and she noticed that everyone around them was looking.

“Doctor,” she laughed. “Now everyone is looking,” she whispered.

“Let them look. They are just jealous of me.”

The song ended and another, much slower, one started. She stepped closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. It was a little warm to be so close, but the comfort it brought was worth it.

“Are you enjoying the evening so far?” the Doctor asked after a while.

“I am, yeah,” she said, a smile forming on her face. “As far as apologies goes, this is one of the best I’ve ever had.”

“I’m still sorry I yelled at you like that. The things I said were terrible. You didn’t deserve that. No one ever could.

She looked up at him. “You know I’ve forgiven you, right? She asked him. She stopped moving.

He looked down at the floor next to her. “I know. I also know I don’t deserve it. I had been up all night two days in a row and I was irate. I took it out on you, and I had no right to. I said horrible things about you, Jack, and your husband. I honestly don’t understand why you want to be near after that.”

She stepped back so she could cup his cheek. “Doctor. I forgave you for that long ago. I want to be near you because I like you. You said some things that weren’t okay, but you apologised, and you’ve been nice to me ever since. Maybe it wasn’t right, but you made up for it every day since.

“I still feel guilty. I said those things about your husband. I degraded you only based on your economic standing and your accent. You shouldn’t have to out up with that. You should have done much more than slap me for it,” he said, stepping back from her.

Rose bit her lip. “I still feel bad about that too. Slapping you, I mean. I know I said I wouldn’t, but I do. But I think… We should make a deal. And this time we will stick to it. We’ve already forgiven each other, yeah? But we haven’t forgiven ourselves. We should do that. If you forgive yourself for saying those things, I’ll forgive myself for hitting you.”

He considered it, then nodded. “I can’t say it will happen immediately, but I’ll try,” he promised.

She smiled at him. “So will I.”

“We should sit down again,” he said. “I have to go soon…”

“You’re leaving?” she asked surprised.

He shook his head, looking around the dance floor for Jack and Jenny. “It’s supposed to be a surprise… But let me just say, you might want to have your wallet ready during the auction,” he said.

She stifled a giggle, “You’re going to auction off a night with yourself or something?” she asked.

He frowned.

“You are, aren’t you?” she giggled. “I’ll consider it.”

He smiled at her. “Ah, there they are,” he said, nodding towards Jack and Jenny who were talking to one of the catering staff. He waved them over, and they quickly told their new friend goodbye, before running back.

“Who were you talking to?” Rose asked them.

Jenny smiled, reaching for the Doctor to pick her up. “We met a nice woman, who said he would bring us extra ice cream to our table. Jack knows her.”

“She’s the woman from our building,  mummy. The one with the cat” He said, as Rose lifted him up too. She could see that he was tired by now.

“She has a cat?” Jenny gasped. “Me and Daddy don’t like cats,” she informed them.

Rose frowned, and the Doctor leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Jenny’s allergic. It helps her to know that neither of us like them anyway.”

When they returned to their table, they moved their chairs together. Jack had fallen asleep in Rose’s arms and the Doctor had to leave, so Jenny was leaning on Rose and trying to stay awake. By the time Donna returned and picked her up, Jenny was sound asleep, and the auction was about to start. The first few items were mostly art, or different collector’s items. Rose was happy to see that they were making money for the charity, but she was also impatient because she wanted the Doctor to come on stage as soon as possible. Finally he walked on stage and claimed the microphone.

“Hello there. My name is John Noble, but most of you probably know that. Not only do we, at Gallifrey Enterprise, care a lot about the cause of A Charitable Earth, I personally care about it. Which is why, I’ve made a decision. We haven’t done this any of the previous years, but I’m going to auction off a night in my company, paid by myself. We can go anywhere within the Greater London area, and I will pay for everything,” he explained. Several people cheered, and he handed the microphone back to the auctioneer.

“Starting at £50,” he called. Rose was the first to bid, but within the first minute the bids were at over £800 and there was no way she could afford that. She still had years of debt to pay off, after all.

“I don’t get why you would bid, anyway,” Donna said. “He would take you anywhere in the world for free, if you just ask him.”

Rose rolled her eyes “He wouldn’t. And I couldn’t accept a gift like that, even if he did.”

Donna shook her head. “You two really are blind. I meant as a date. He’s head over heels for you. Trust me, I know my twin brother.”

Rose shook her head and said nothing, and Donna sensed that she wasn’t comfortable talking about that. “Is Jack coming down with something? he seemed a bit off, tonight,” she said, trying to steer the conversation away.

Rose shook her head, feeling angry again. She looked down at Jack who was fast asleep. “A stranger yelled at him, for almost spilling her drink. He was so shocked her started crying.”

“No? Who did that?” she asked.

“I didn’t know her name. I’ve seen her in the tabs, though. She was a little older than me, I guess, and blonde,” Rose started explaining. the auction was coming to an end now, as far as she could hear. “Erh, she wore a silver dress. She was sort of elegant. She looked nice enough, but obviously she wasn’t. Oh, and, she she speaks with a French accent.”

“French…” Donna repeated, thinking. “Hold on, I know who that is! I’ve met her! Her name is Jeanne Antoinette, or otherwise know as…”

“...Reinette Poisson!” the auctioneer announced, to see the Doctor hugging the woman who had been yelling at Jack.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And enter our villain

Rose woke up and stretched lazily. Jack was obviously already awake, from the sound of the cartoons she could hear coming from the living room. She looked around and gasped when she saw the alarm clock. Had she really slept to half past ten? Why had no one woken her up by now? She got up and dressed in comfortable clothes. She started with getting a mug of coffee in the kitchen before going into the living room. Jack and Martha were playing what appeared to be a very intense game of Snakes and Ladders, at least judging by Jack’s facial expression.

“Morning, mummy,” he mumbled, not looking away from the board.

Martha looked up. “Oh, I didn’t even hear you. As you can see, I’m busy kicking Jack’s butt,” she said, teasing Jack.

Jack shook his head, finally looking up. “No! I’m winning mummy, look. I’m ahead by three squares.”

“Yeah, but every time we get close to the finish we keep getting send back to the start, don’t we?” Martha asked him, and he nodded.

Jack stood up and pulled Rose over “Mummy, you can be on my team,” he decided.

After another ten minutes, Jack and Rose had finally won, and Rose could go out and make breakfast for herself. Just before she went back into the living room to join Jack, her phone started ringing. She looked at the number and sighed. She was really not in the mood for this today.

“This is Rose Tyler-Smith speaking,” she said tiredly, already knowing what this is about.

“Rose,” came the reply of Harold Saxon. Rose rolled her eyes, and fought back the urge to remind him that she had never given him the right to use her first name. He continued, “I’m afraid more complications have arisen in your case.”

Rose sat down, knowing that this would be a very long conversation. After John’s death, everything he had left for herself and Jack had been tied up by the insurance company, and apparently its owner Harold Saxon had taken it upon himself to help her. This, of course, did sound very nice. That was, right until you met Harold Saxon. It was obvious to Rose, that he was obviously trying to cheat herself and Jack from their inheritance. Since it was only the money they hadn’t actually been able to receive, Rose would have considered just giving up on it long ago, but she was still struggling financially, and she was still deep in debt.For years she had taken loans from the bank at terrible interest rates, every time an unforeseen expense came up. After four years, and some very bad luck, that had become quite a lot of money. And they had still only payed back half the money for their apartment when John died, so she was still paying back that loan too. She needed the money to pay off that debt, especially since she wanted Jack to have the opportunity of going to University, something that she had always wanted but had never been able to.

“Tell me more,” she said. She had very little patience left for this man. 

“Well. I recently, this morning, came into possession of some new information. You haven’t been honest with me, Rose.”

She frowned. “How have I not been honest?”

“Two months ago you got a promotion,, and your income is much higher now This changes matters completely. You know that I spend hour after hour of trying to turn the law to your benefit, but this makes it all the more difficult for me. You could have at least have been a bit respectful of the hard work I provide on your behalf. I don’t have to help you, Rose. I’m doing it of my own free will,” he said.

“Why does this change things?” she sighed.

“Oh, you forgot? I hardly thought you would. I shall remind you of you husbands will…”

“You mean the real one, or the letter you claim is his final will?” she asked. For some reason, the man insisted that a letter written by John, which he almost clearly stated was an addition to his will, was now considered the real thing 

“Rose, you know very well that the letter is, in the eyes of the law, his final will. And in that, it says nothing about you or your son receiving anything. I shall read to you, what it entitles. Your husband writes the following. ‘ _I know that you will probably mourn me. And that’s fine. But Rose, do one thing for me. Have a good life, Rose. Have a fantastic life. Do all the things we dreamed of. Go traveling, get your degree, find your dream job. Just be happy. For my sake, Rose._ ’”  He read. Rose shuddered. She hated that that man not only got to read the private letters John had left for her and Jack, but also got to use them like this. Turning his kind words against her.

“So?” Rose asked, angrily.

“Well, it states quite clearly, a set of instructions. In the eyes of the law, of course. Now, we could get around you working in a shop, as you covering your expenses. But, with this promotion, I’m not sure we can do the same. This time.”

Rose wanted more than anything to yell at him. It had been obvious for years that he wanted to cheat her for what John had left for them, plus whatever else he could get. She wished that John hadn’t gotten involved with this man, but she couldn’t blame him. When she had first met Harold Saxon he had been charming, and had seemed trustworthy. Someone she would have like to be friends with, and who she really felt she could trust with something like this. However, a short while after John’s death, everything had changed.

“Why does it matter?!” she asked. She took a deep breath. “What I mean is, the letter he left was hardly a set of directions. They were his wishes, yes. But like you said. He asked me to be happy. Well, this job makes myself and my son happy. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

There was a pause. “Rose, I’m afraid that argument wouldn’t work in court, if that’s what it comes to. I want you to have what is rightfully yours, but just by saying that you are happy you won’t just get it served on a golden platter. Until now, it would be best if you returned to your old job. Otherwise, you might never get your money, and you could easily lose all the material things he left for you, too”

“I…” Rose didn’t know what to say. That couldn’t happen… right? She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t lose everything she had left of John. She covered her mouth when she realised what it would also mean. The apartment had been in John’s name before he died. Would she lose her home too? She had nowhere else to go. And what about Jack? The money used for paying for his school had been from John’s salary, as she had been in university at the time. What would happen to him? Would he get expelled. And Martha? She lived there too, and Rose knew that she wasn’t able to move anywhere for another 6 months, when she started working.

“Can’t you do anything?” she asked. Of course, she knew that he would try his best to angle it so that he couldn’t. But he was the only one who knew her case, and could help her.

“I gave you my advice. Go back to your old job. It will work out much better that way.”

Rose bit her lip. She didn’t want that. At all. “Give me a few days… I’ll send you an email when I’m ready.”

“I’ll be waiting anxiously,” he said, and hung up without a goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello  
> I am so sorry it's taken so long to post this chapter. I've been very busy with school, and when I had finished writing it I was ill so I wasn't able to.   
> I hope to be able to write the next chapter soon, but I can't guarantee anything.


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